Apple

The fine print of deleting stock apps on iOS 10

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 16, 2016

In an effort to address one of the longest standing customer pain points with iOS, Apple has officially confirmed that a bunch of first-party apps can be removed from iOS 10 devices. But as it turns out, deleting a stock app won't do what you'd expect.

Apple execs Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi shed more light on the topic on Daring Fireball editor John Gruber’s podcast, “The Talk Show”.

They've confirmed that deleting a stock iOS 10 app only removes its icon from the Home screen and deletes user data associated with the app, leaving actual app binaries intact on your device. Here's why this isn't such a big deal as it might sound and how removing specific first-party Apple apps might affect iOS 10's functionality.

Facebook launches new Home tab in Messenger

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 16, 2016

Facebook is trying to “reinvent the inbox” with Home, a new tab in the mobile Messenger app designed to make it easier to start conversations with the service's more than 900 million unique mostly users. David Marcus, Facebook's Messenger boss, said on Thursday that with the new Home tab his company is aiming to make Messenger simpler to use by presenting more relevant information.

iOS 10 tidbit: using 3D Touch to rename folders and seeing their notifications badge breakdown

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 16, 2016

iOS 10 makes extended use of 3D Touch-driven gestures on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. For instance, you can 3D Touch the bottom row of icons in Control Center to set flashlight intensity, start the timer, go to your last calculation and jump directly into a Camera mode.

You can also clear all notifications with 3D Touch and now I've stumbled upon another handy 3D Touch shortcut on iOS 10: folder renaming and seeing apps inside a folder with missed notifications.

Opinion: Dark Mode? Apple’s been testing dark interfaces on iOS for years now

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 16, 2016

My colleague Andrew first broke news yesterday that Dark Mode resources have been found within iOS 10's Messages app. Now, Dark Mode was expected to make an official appearance in iOS 10, but the WWDC keynote came and went without any mention of this feature.

Now Mac Aficionados tweeted out screenshots depicting a dark interface in other iOS 10 stock apps, including an automatic dark mode in iBooks, in addition to the Clock app, Safari and the iTunes Store.

As it turns out, dark interfaces in these apps (sans Clock) have been present for years, indicating Apple's been testing how users might accept a Dark Mode option on iOS.

iOS 10 tidbit: battery life suggestions

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 16, 2016

One of the useful little things Apple's built into iOS 10 without even mentioning it during the WWDC keynote or in iOS 10 marketing materials is a brand new feature designed to suggest ways users can maximize their iPhone's battery life. Branded as Battery Life Suggestions, it appears automatically when your battery is not connected to power or using Low Power Mode.

iOS 10 preview: your new Lock screen with Raise to Wake, widgets, interactive notifications & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 5, 2016

Having taken a closer look at a much improved Messages app, which delivers more expressive and animated ways to message friends and family, our preview of big new features in iOS 10 continues with a detailed overview of an all-new Lock screen. Wait, the Lock screen in iOS 10 warrants an article?

As you know, the Lock screen has remained virtually unchanged since the iPhone's inception. With iOS 10, however, it's undergone some major improvements in the form of a refined look and feel, including vastly redesigned widgets, and new features such as interactive notifications, Raise to Wake and expanded use of 3D Touch shortcuts.

We think that many folks are going to appreciate how iOS 10 makes their device's Lock and Home screens way more functional than before, so here's a detailed walkthrough of all the goodies included in iOS 10's freshened up Lock screen experience.

iOS 10 tidbit: clearing all notifications at once with a simple 3D Touch gesture

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 15, 2016

One of the longest-standing complaints about iOS has got to be its inexplicable lack of a Clear All button in the Notification Center that would permit users to clear out all of their missed alerts in one go rather than dismissing them one by one, like an animal.

Not anymore: iOS 10 makes expanded use of 3D Touch throughout the system, including making all missed notifications disappear with a single press.

iOS 10 tidbit: keyboard has a new clicking sound

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 15, 2016

Aside from the headlining new features, including a revamped Lock screen, a vastly improved Messages, a lot smarter Maps and more, iOS 10 sports a bunch of refinements that make for a more pleasing experience overall.

One of those tidbits is an all-new tapping sound when using the stock keyboard on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Here's what it sounds like.

iOS 10 tidbit: “Slide to unlock” is gone, say hello to “Press home to unlock”

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 15, 2016

The iPhone's familiar slide-to-unlock gesture was subjected to multiple lawsuits, but the feature itself has barely changed since the handset's inception nearly a decade ago.

With iOS 10, however, Apple has made some plenty significant changes to the Lock screen while introducing a brand new way to get into your phone.

iOS 10 tidbit: apps now must seek permission before accessing your music library

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 15, 2016

Apple has made some changes to how iOS handles apps that wish to access users' music libraries, with iOS 10 now requiring your explicit permission before any app is allowed to interact with your music.

This new safeguard increases your privacy while ensuring that no app can silently analyze what's in your music library without you knowing it. Additionally, it makes it more difficult, if not downright impossible, for apps to potentially upload your music library to the cloud in order build a profile of your musical tastes for advertising purposes.

Did iPhone 7’s touch-sensitive Home button just leak?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 29, 2016

Many sources are adamant that we'll have to wait until a tenth anniversary iPhone next year for a bezel-less device with an integrated Touch ID sensor and no Home button. As for the upcoming iPhone 7 revision, the most recent leak from MobiPicker suggests that the iPhone 7 might come outfitted with a touch-sensitive Home button that sits flush with the surrounding bezel, requiring users to perform tapping actions due to the absence of any moving parts.

Apple Watch 2 rumored to debut later this year

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 15, 2016

A second-generation Apple Watch will most likely launch either alongside Apple's iPhone 7 this September or later this year, according to supply chain sources who spoke with DigiTimes, a Taiwanese trade publication with a hit-and-miss record in reporting Apple rumors.